Full Metal Hakusho
by Tollivandi Silverwing
Summary: What would happen if our two favorite short guys are taken from their worlds, fused into one person, and dropped onto Destiny Island? Well, let's find out, shall we?
1. Hollis the Librarian

_Tolly: An explanation for Hollis, Friday, and Autumn may be in order. Friday and Autumn are world-hoppers. They are sent to different worlds by Hollis the Librarian, who is the keeper of all stories. I may or may not end up writing a story about them._

_Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, YYH, or Once On This Island (but the lyrics fit perfectly)._

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In one world, there are people gifted with the ability to change one thing into another. They are known as alchemists…

In another world, three planes coexist: the spirit plane, the demon plane, and the human plane. In this world, there is a group of beings known as the Reikai Tentai, the Spirit Detectives…

"**_Two different worlds…never meant to meet…but if the gods mover our feet…"_**

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Ed looked around, without out a clue as to what was going on. The last thing he remembered was blacking out, and the next thing he knew, he was in what looked like a huge library. Curious, he scanned the titles on the shelf next to him. With a start, he saw a book labeled Full Metal Alchemist. He reached out to take it off the shelf.

"It's never a good idea to read one's own story, Master Elric."

Ed pulled his hand away from the book as a person appeared beside him. He seemed no older than Ed was, but wore half-moon spectacles and flowing robes.

"How do you know my name?" asked Ed suspiciously.

"I am the librarian. I know all about you."

"Okay, that's creepy…" Ed muttered. "So, why can't I read that book?"

"People have gone mad when they read things that are yet to come."

"Jeez, Hollis. Way to sound deep." said a girl's voice, coming from nowhere.

"Friday!" snapped Hollis. "Shut up or I'll send you to Teletubbie Land!"

"Fine, be that way."

Hollis turned back to Ed as though nothing had happened. "As I was saying, you can't read ahead. Otherwise, you would know what was about to happen to you."

"Why? What's going to happen to me?" Ed was slowly backing away from the librarian, thinking he might be just a little bit insane.

"You'll see once Hiei gets here." They heard a startled yell from another row of shelves. "Ah, here he is now. Hiei, come over this way!" Hollis called.

A figured clad in black appeared at the end of the aisle. "What's going on here!" the newcomer yelled.

Hollis pretended he didn't hear Hiei. "Good luck to you both." He closed his eyes, evidently preparing to do something.

"Yeah, and watch out for rabid fan girls!" Another girl's voice shouted.

Ed and Hiei heard Hollis yell, "Autumn!" Then there was a brilliant flash of light, and they ceased to exist as separate entities.

Hiei cried out in pain as he lost his right arm and his kokoryuha switched to his left arm. In the next instant, he felt his left leg disappear as another consciousness touched his own.

Meanwhile, Ed felt as though his left arm was on fire, and there was also an intense pain on his forehead. Just as he was thinking that this was like a transmutation gone horribly wrong, he heard a thought that wasn't his own. _Why didn't I kill him when I had the chance?_

_Who the hell is that?_ thought Ed.

The other consciousness was instantly on guard. _What are you doing in my mind?_

_What! You're in my mind, not the other way around!_

_Hn. You wish._

They both became aware that they were surrounded by blackness and were rapidly approaching a bright light.

_Do you see that?_ asked Hiei.

_I think it means we're dead or something._ Ed answered.

_I doubt that weird guy at the library would wish us luck right before killing us._

_Yeah, but he seemed a little crazy to me._

With a force that knocked the wind out of them, they landed on a beach.

_Ouch,_ thought Ed, rubbing his sore behind.

_Hey! Quit touching my butt!_

_What are you talking about?_

_You were just…_

_No, I wasn't! _Ed looked around. There was a dock not too far away, so maybe there were people here too.

_Wait,_ said Hiei. _Do that again._

_What, rub my butt?_

_Baka ningen. No, turn the head._

Wondering what Hiei meant by "the" head, Ed turned his head again. Almost immediately, his head turned the other way.

_This can't be good,_ said Hiei.

_You just turned my head, didn't you?_

_No. I turned **my** head._ Hiei stood up, and Ed was pulled to his feet as well. _I feel alright, but there's something wrong with my leg. And my arm._

_Would that be your left leg and your right arm?_

_Yes._

_Uh-oh. That librarian must have put you into my body._

_Your body? Feel your forehead, ningen. _Hiei/Ed put his hand to his head, and felt the band of cloth across it.

_What the…? _said Ed.

_That would be the ward covering **my** third eye. And there is also a ward on my left arm. It would usually be on my right arm, but…_

Ed's eyes grew wide as he finished for Hiei. _…But I don't have a right arm._

_Yeah, why is that?_

_Um…an accident. So are you saying that our bodies have been combined?_

Hiei gave an affirmative reply as he sat them back down on the sand and rolled up their left pant leg, revealing the automail limb.

_Must have been quite the accident, ningen._

_Why do you keep calling me that?_

_It means human._

_Aren't you human?_

_Absolutely not. I'm a Youkai._

_Whatever that is. I'm known as the Full Metal Alchemist. Maybe you've heard of me?_

_No. We're from separate worlds, remember? _Ed/Hiei looked around again. _Is this, by any chance, your world?_

Ed shook their head. _I've had some weird things happen to me, but this takes the cake._

_I concur. Someone's coming towards us._

_I know. We have the same pair of eyes. I mean, three eyes, I guess. _They looked again at the people approaching them, though still fairly far off.

_Three to one? _thought Hiei. _Hardly seems fair._

_Technically, it's three to two._

_I'm counting bodies. This might be just a guess, but I don't think we can be in two places at once. So the odds are three to one. Let me rephrase that: three ningen to one youkai._

_Hello? Alchemist here. I count for something. Probably more than you._

_I highly doubt that._

_Why? Because I'm a ningen?_

_Yes, a disabled ningen._

_Hey, we're sharing a body. That means you're "disabled" as well. _

_Well, my skills make up for any lack thereof that you have._

_Shut up before I hurt you._

_How about we both shut up and pay attention to the people coming towards us? Besides, if you try to hurt me, you'll end up hurting yourself._

_So, it's psychological warfare? I've been told I can be extremely annoying._

_If this situation becomes a matter of endurance, you don't stand a chance._

_Oh, really? You underestimate the Full Metal Alchemist._

Hiei scowled and tried to fiddle with his wards.

_Other arm, genius,_ said Ed. _We're left-handed._

By then, the three people were in speaking distance of them. Ed/Hiei looked up at them, both thinking the same thing: _This is going to be interesting._


	2. Hied

_Tolly: Here's some more fusion confusion for you. And bear with me; I know next to nothing about Kingdom Hearts._

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Sora, Riku and Kairi stared at the newcomer. Other than the fact that he had suddenly appeared on Destiny Island, there was something strange about him. His clothes were entirely black, save for a white scarf and a red cloak. His long black hair with white-streaked bangs was pulled back in a braid, and he had one golden eye and one of dark red. He was, by far, one of the oddest people they had ever seen, and this feeling intensified when he spoke.

"Can you tell us…I mean, me…where, uh, where I am?" The stranger had an odd way of talking. Unbeknownst to the kids, it was due to the two people trying to speak at once.

_Great, not we sound stupid._ Ed thought.

_Well, one of us is, at least._

_Don't talk about yourself like that._

_Baka ningen._

"This is Destiny Island," said Kairi. "Who are you?"

Ed and Hiei tried to speak simultaneously, so the kids heard a combined version of the two names.

"It's nice to meet you, Hied. I'm Kairi, and this is Sora and Riku."

_Why is your half first?_

_It's what the ningens heard. We need to stop talking at the same time._

_Yeah, that'll work, _thought Ed sarcastically.

Meanwhile, the kids were staring at the ever-changing facial expressions of Hied.

_And now they think we're insane._ said Ed.

_If we're stuck like this for too long, we probably will go crazy._

_We shouldn't move our face too much. You might not like it, but we're going to need to work together._

_Fine. I've had to work with worse ningen than you._

Sora shook his head to stop himself from gawking at the weird visitor. After all, he had seen stranger things before. "How did you get here?" he asked.

Hied shrugged. "I have no idea."

_That's semi-truthful. _Hiei thought. _We don't know how or why the Librarian sent us here, after all._

_I'm hungry._

_We both are._

_Then let's get some food from these people._

_How? Just say "Feed me"?_

_Sure, why not?_

_Baka. _Hiei sighed, inwardly, and let Ed speak for them. "You wouldn't happen to have any food for a weary traveler, would you?"

"Of course," said Kairi, smiling pleasantly. "Come with us."

_See? Simple._

_You do this often, don't you?_

Hied stood up, took a step, and stumbled.

_How do you walk with this leg?_

_It takes some getting used to._

_Then you walk, and I'll talk._

_Deal._

"Are you sure we can trust him?" Sora muttered to Kairi. "He looks a little weird to me."

"I'm sure he's fine." answered Kairi.

"So, Hied," said Riku. "Where are you from?"

"Here and there." said Hied.

_Good answer._

_Of course._

"I hope you'll like Destiny Island, Hied." Kairi said. "It's very nice here."

"Most of the time," Sora said under his breath, thinking of the Heartless. Kairi and Riku didn't hear him, luckily, but Hied did.

_Uh-oh. _thought Ed. _This paradise isn't so perfect after all._

_I think we should get to know that one a little better. What do you think?_

_I think I smell food._

_Do all ningens have a one-track mind?_

_When we're hungry, yes._

_Hn._

When Kairi handed Hied a bowl, Ed took control and began stuffing their face.

_That's disgusting. _Hiei said.

_If I keep eating like this, we won't have to answer a lot of questions, now will we?_

_It'll work until we're full. Then what?_

Hied glanced at the sun, which was beginning to set.

_Then we'll go to bed, because we're tired._

_Which we won't be._

_Do you have a better idea?_

_Well…_

_No, we're not going to kill them._

_I'm not allowed to kill ningens anyway. Not anymore._

_Really? Who tells someone like you what to do?_

_Mind your own business._

_We're the same person, so your business **is** my business._

_In that case, what kind of an accident takes an arm and a leg?_

They were interrupted by Sora, who was staring at them again. "Don't they feed you where you come from?"

Hied swallowed his last mouthful. "What can I say? I've got a big appetite."

_That's an understatement,_ commented Hiei. _And aren't I supposed to be the one talking?_

_Well, since we're out of food, you need to talk or start yawning._

Hied sat back and stretched. "It's been a long day for me, and I'm getting ti—"

He was cut off by a huge yawn.

_I thought it was talk or yawn, not talk **and** yawn._

_Oops. _Ed stopped himself from grinning.

_Why do I feel like I'm babysitting you, ningen?_

"Hang on," said Kairi. "I'll find someplace you can spend the night."

"It's okay," said Hied. "I'll just sleep on the beach."

_Why are we sleeping on the beach? _asked Ed.

_There's something I have to do._

"Are you sure?" asked Kairi.

Hied nodded. "Goodnight. And thanks for the food." He started walking back towards the shore. "I'll see you tomorrow."

_I actually hope we don't._

_Do you think the Librarian would let us get off that easy? _Hiei asked.

_Not a chance._

They reached the sand, and Ed tried to sit down.

_No, ningen._

_Why? What are you going to do?_

_Just let me handle it, and don't ask questions._

Closing his mismatched eyes, Hied removed the ward covering his Jagan, and focused it on someone who was a world away.

_Please work, _thought Hiei as the third eye turned red.

Ed was confused, but remained silent.

Slowly, Yukina's image came into focus. As the view widened, Hied could see Yukina sitting beside a bed. In the bed was Hiei's body, looking as though he were asleep. Hied watched as another person walked into the room and put his hand on Yukina's shoulder.

_Hands off my sister, ningen!_ snapped Hiei.

"Don't worry," said Kuwabara. "The shrimp'll wake up."

"Don't call him that!" Yukina said. "And how do you know?"

"If Urameshi can come back from the dead, so can Hiei. Besides, Hiei isn't even dead to start with."

_Brilliant reasoning, Kuwabara,_ thought Hiei. He opened his normal eyes and the image faded.

_What did you just do?_ asked an amazed Ed.

_That was my Jagan's original purpose, to keep on eye on my sister._

_Do you think we can look at my world with it? I need to check on someone, too_

_I don't know…_

_Can we at least try?_

_Fine. Focus on the person you seek._

Hied's eyes closed again. This time, Ed focused the Jagan on Al, and sure enough, the suit of armor came into view.

Just like Yukina, Al was sitting beside a bed. Ed's body lay unconscious on it, and Al was holding his non-automail hand.

"Please wake up, Brother," Al was saying. "I need you."

_Don't worry, Al, _thought Ed. _I'll come back as soon as I can. _ The image faded as Ed blinked away a tear.

Hied covered the third eye once more, and sat down on the sand.

_That was your brother? In the armor?_

_He wasn't **in** the armor. He **is** the armor._

_What!_

_Never mind. Good night, Hiei._

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_Tolly: Just for the record, I only recently got into YuYu Hakusho, so I'm sorry if I don't know exactly how the Jagan works. Reviews would be very much appreciated, but I really don't need to tell you that, do I?_


	3. Hied's dream: part one

_Tolly: For those of you who are rabid Kingdom Hearts fans, I apologize if the events in my story do not exactly correspond with the events in the video game. I can never quite remember the correct order. But this is, after all, Hied's story, not Sora's, so please don't kill me. _

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That night, Hied dreamed that the ocean rose and pulled him out to sea. He tried to escape the tide's pull, using demon powers and alchemical ones, but still the water pulled him. Helpless, he fell into the darkness.

As he fell, his body split, becoming the true forms of his two halves. Both were unconscious when they landed.

Hiei woke first, realizing he was laying on something solid and opening his eyes. He saw nothing but blackness above him, and light shining from under him. Standing, he saw Ed laying a few feet away. They were both on a circle that seemed to be made of stained glass, with the image of a young woman on it. When Hiei peered over the edge of the circle, he saw only more blackness.

He looked back at Ed. The young alchemist looked calm and peaceful in sleep. Hiei kicked him awake.

"Ow!" Ed sat up and glared at Hiei. "Hey, we're separated!"

"Don't get your hopes up," said Hiei. "Since we have separate consciousnesses, we are apart only in our minds. This must be a dream."

Ed looked around. "I don't know about you, but I usually don't have dreams like this."

"I don't think the term 'usually' can apply to us anymore, if it ever did."

"Good point." They were both silent for a little while, and then Ed spoke again. "This is a pretty boring dream, if you ask me."

"Don't worry," said a familiar voice. "It's about to get exciting."

Hiei and Ed glared up into the darkness. It was Hollis the Librarian.

"What do you want now?" Hiei snapped.

"Good job, Hollis," said a girl's voice. "You made them mad."

"Autumn," Hollis sounded like he was gritting his teeth. "You're supposed to be on a mission, not spying on Hied."

There was a pause. "Oh," said Autumn. "Right."

"Anyway," said Hollis, now that Autumn was apparently gone. "Where was I?"

"You were about to let us go home," said Ed.

"Be quiet!"

"Well, it was worth a try," Ed said, shrugging.

"Ah, yes," said Hollis. "Now I remember. I'm sure that by now you've met some of the inhabitants of Destiny Island?"

"Yeah," said Ed. "But only those three kids."

"One of them, Sora, has had the exact dream that you two are having now." Hollis continued.

"I suppose he had a baka Librarian in his dream, as well," said Hiei sarcastically.

"Shush." Hollis snapped his fingers and three pedestals rose from underneath the glass platform. Hovering above each of the pedestals was a different object: a sword, a shield, and a staff. "You may each choose one item."

Ed and Hiei exchanged a quick glance, and each took out his own weapon. Ed transmuted his automail into a blade, and Hiei drew his katana. "No thanks," said Ed. "We're all set."

"Are you sure?" asked Hollis. Hiei nodded.

The Librarian sighed, and snapped his fingers again. The glass beneath Ed and Hiei shattered and they fell through the darkness. This time, they fused back into Hied, and landed gently on another glass circle.

_Ow…_said Ed, rubbing his forehead, which once again featured the Jagan. _I hate that feeling._

Hiei agreed. _If we ever get home, I'll do my best never to get a limb chopped off,_ he said with a smirk.

_They weren't chopped off. They were…taken._

_Taken? I ask again, what happened?_

_I was eleven years old. I made a mistake, alright?_

Hiei almost said more, but then something else caught his attention. _What the…?_

A creature wriggled out from beneath the glass circle. It was black and ant-like, with glowing yellow eyes.

"This is a Heartless, Hied," said Hollis. "You must learn to fight these creatures in order to complete your task."

_Riiiight…_thought Ed. _Can I get this one, Hiei?_

_Be my guest._

Transmuting his arm blade, Hied charged at the Heartless and dispatched it easily.

_That wasn't so bad._

_Watch out, there are more of them,_ Hiei warned.

_If you see them, I see them, remember? _

_Well, if you see them, attack them!_

Every time Ed killed one Heartless, two more seemed to take its place. But he kept going, and finally there were none left.

_Not bad for a ningen,_ said Hiei dryly. _With some more training, you could beat Kuwabara._

_I get the feeling that wasn't a compliment._

"Very good, both of you," said Hollis. "I must warn you, however: the next step is a different sort of challenge."

"What do you mean?" asked Hied, somewhat apprehensively.

"You'll see," said Hollis, his voice choked with laughter.

Again the glass image shattered and Hied fell to yet another circle. This one had a door near its edge. The Librarian snapped his fingers and the door opened, a bright light shining through.

"Enter," said Hollis. "And I wish you luck."

_Oh, no, _Hiei groaned mentally. _The Librarian is wishing us luck again. The last time he did that, we got fused together._

_Are you saying there might be something worse than that beyond this door?_

_It's possible…but I'm not backing down._

_Well, there's one thing we have in common._

_Seeing as we are currently a single person, there's no physical way we could disagree. We either go through the door or we don't._

_That's beside the point. Let's go._

Hied took a deep breath and stepped into the blinding light.

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_Tolly: Sorry to cut it off at this point, but it's the only place it would work. This is a two-part chapter, because otherwise it would be much too long for my tastes._


	4. Hied's dream: part two

_Tolly: Welcome to Hied's Dream: Part 2! What awaits him behind the door? AAAHH, the horror! …Sorry, getting a little carried away there. Thistle is introduced in this chapter. Like Friday and Autumn, she is a world-hopper._

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Hied found himself back on Destiny Island, on a wooden platform between some trees, but instead of Sora, Riku and Kairi, there were three teenage girls. The first had long black hair, bright green eyes and catlike ears. The second was green-haired, purple-eyed, and was fixing some sort of glider. The third held her brown hair back in a braid, and the instant she saw Hied, her hazel eyes grew wide.

"Hied!" she cried, running towards him.

"Autumn, no!" snapped the green-haired girl. She made a gesture towards Autumn and caused a nearby rope to lasso her before she reached the startled Hied.

_Autumn? Wasn't she the one who was spying on us? _asked Ed.

_Yes. That means that one of the other two must be Friday._

_And how did she do that with the rope?_

_With the proper training and talent, you'd be surprised what's possible._

"But I won't hurt him, honest!" Autumn struggled against the rope. "Let me go, Thistle!"

"Actually, I'm more concerned about him hurting you," said the green-haired girl, evidently Thistle.

Autumn paused to consider this. "Alright, I'll behave," she said with a sigh. The rope binding her relaxed and fell to the floor. She stepped back near the railing around the platform and snapped her fingers. A broomstick leaning against the wall rose to waist level and she sat on it side-saddle.

"If you're finished," said the girl with cat ears; Friday. "We have a job to do, remember?"

"But no matter what he answers, he'll still go on the same mission," said Thistle. "So why are we doing this?"

"Don't ask me," said Autumn. "Ask Hollis. It was his idea."

_Think we can make a run for it? _asked Ed.

_This is only a dream. We probably wouldn't make it too far without something strange happening._

_There can't **be** anything stranger than this._

"I don't even remember the questions or any of the answers!" said Thistle.

"Then we'll make it up," said Friday. "They were dumb questions anyway. Autumn, you first."

"Okay. Hied, what do you care most about? Finding all the answers, making as many friends as possible, or winning every fight?"

_She's asking 'Hied', so we have to have the same answer,_ said Ed.

_It seems so. The more friends you have, the more you have to worry about, so we aren't choosing that one._

_That's true, but how would you know? You don't seem like the kind of person who has a lot of friends._

_No, I don't._ Hiei's tone was dangerous.

_Okaaaay, moving on. There are worse things to lose than a fight, so that's not my choice._

_Like a limb or two?_

_How about your whole body?_

_What?_

_Never mind. So it's 'finding all the answers'?_

_Yes._

When Hied answered, Autumn merely replied, "Is that really so important?"

"But—but you asked us—" Hied sputtered.

"Don't worry. We're supposed to talk like that," said Friday.

"My turn!" said Thistle. "What is your fondest wish? To live forever, to be able to fly, or to be a hero?"

_Hn,_ said Hiei._ Define 'hero'._

_Someone who works for the good of everyone._

_I didn't need an answer, ningen._

_Well, Thistle does. I think the hero one is the best. Immortality usually comes with a high price, and flying…_

_Is overrated. We'll go with the hero._

"Would it be worth it?" was Thistle's cryptic reply.

Now it was Friday's turn. "What are you most afraid of? Growing old, failing something, or being alone?"

_Why wasn't 'being alone' an option on the last question?_ Hiei asked.

_Alone time would be very nice right about now_, agreed Ed. _That's definitely not something we're afraid of._

_What about 'growing old'? As a demon, I'm not going to get old for a while, so I'm not worried._

_I'm actually more concerned about **not** growing old._

_Failing…that's not just failing a test. It could mean failing at something much more important._

Ed said nothing, only clenched their automail hand into a fist.

"Failing something," said Hied.

"What's so scary about that?" asked Friday.

"That's really irritating."

"Yes, it is," said Autumn, grinning. "But it was part of Sora's dream as well. Only we weren't the ones asking the questions for him."

_Lucky him,_ though Ed.

_Hn._

"Well, you have to go finish the dream now, Hied," said Thistle, picking up the glider she had been working on. "And we have to get back to our other mission."

"Glorious," said Friday, rolling her eyes. She snapped her fingers and wings sprouted from her back.

Autumn's broomstick rose higher into the air as she said, "Good luck to you both!"

Thistle's glider made an odd noise, and with a small burst of blue light, began to ascend. With a final wave to Hied, the three world-hoppers flew out across the ocean and disappeared.

_Poor Hollis,_ said Ed, watching them leave. _Imagine having to deal with them on a regular basis._

_Remember that he was the one who put us into this situation in the first place._

The platform and the peaceful island scene faded into white light, which in turn faded into blackness once more. Hied was again standing on a stained-glass picture of a young woman. From nowhere in particular, he heard the Librarian chuckling.

"That was _not_ funny," Hied snapped.

"Yes, actually, it was," said Hollis. "But we must move on."

"I still think this dream is boring."

_Maybe we could try ending it. _thought Hiei.

_Want me to pinch you?_

Hiei sighed. _Baka ningen. Pinching yourself would not help._

_I said I'd—oh, right. _

_Besides, this isn't a normal dream. Hollis would most likely prevent us from waking._

"If you two are finished conversing…" said Hollis.

_Can he hear our thoughts?_ asked Ed.

"No, I can't," said Hollis. "Your face gives you away. Anyway, may I go on?"

Hied nodded.

"Good." The Librarian's voice became more serious. "Do not think that this mission will be easy."

_What mission ever is?_ thought Hiei, as shadows began wriggling up from under the glass circle.

_Great. **More** of these things?_

_May I take on this batch?_

_I thought you said you couldn't kill._

_I can't kill humans. I'm kind of on parole right now._

_Parole? As in, you were in prison?_

_Yes. I stole a powerful artifact and almost took over the human world._

Ed was momentarily stunned. _I'm sharing a body with a criminal?_

_You've got your past, I've got mine. We'll discuss it later._

Using his demon half's trademark speed, Hied made quick work of the evil creature.

_Showoff_, said Ed.

_Hn._

"You two still aren't quite working as a team," said Hollis.

"What are you talking about?" said Hied. "We're doing fine."

"You're taking turns overshadowing each other. That is _not_ teamwork." Hollis sighed. "Ah, well. You'll come around sooner or later. The dream must go on."

A thin beam of light shone out of the darkness beyond the circle.

"This is one thing I'm sure you both will understand," said the Librarian as Hied peered into brightness. "The closer you get to the light, the larger your shadow becomes."

_That makes sense, _said Ed thoughtfully.

_Yes…wait. Shadow? _

Hied spun around to see a huge figure growing out of his shadow.

_Who's taking on this one?_ thought Hiei.

_We have to do it together. Overshadowing isn't teamwork, remember?_

_Alright. Your alchemy and my speed?_

Ed glanced around quickly. _There's nothing here to transmute, except maybe our clothes._

_We could use your arm blade._

_On a creature that big, it won't be very useful._

_And my katana isn't much longer. Hold on. Could you attach the katana to your arm?_

_Yes._

_Then do it._

Hied clapped his hands together and transmuted his right arm. Laying the katana over the automail blade, he fused the two together with alchemy.

_Ready?_

_Ready._

The Shadow's clawed hand swung down towards him, but Hied ducked out of its way. Almost instantly, he was attacked by one of the Heartless, which had sprung up along with the Shadow.

_How many of these things are there?_ said Ed, kicking a couple of them away.

_Don't worry about them. The next time the Shadow's arm comes down, I'm going to climb up to its head, and you attack. Got it?_

_Yep._

Down came the Shadow's arm again. Hied flitted up and chopped at its head. Before he could inflict much damage, however, he slipped off of its shoulder.

_Well, at least we know we can get up there, _said Hiei.

_Let's go for its hands. They seem like good targets._

While the Shadow was still upright, Hied destroyed a few of the Heartless that were scampering around, but like before, more of them replaced the ones he killed. The Shadow came within attack distance and Hied tried again. On and on it went, seemingly in vain, until finally, the Shadow began to sink into a pool of blackness in the center of the circle, followed closely by the Heartless.

_Good work, ningen._

_Thanks._

_You—uh oh._

_That can't be good._

Instead of disappearing, the puddle of darkness that had swallowed the Shadow spread across the circle, to Hied's feet. He struggled, but sunk into it like tar. It pulled him down into pure shadows.

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_Tolly: Ooh, kind of long, but that's alright, isn't it? Please review!_


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